This week’s Parshah is Lekh-Lekha, where HaShem tells Avram to seek the land that He wants to give to him. That land is the Land of Kanaan, later to become the Land of Israel.
Interestingly, HaShem did not tell Avram to go to that land. But Avram complied and began his wanderings. The Zohar explains that in each land Avram arrived, he studied the strengths of that land. That is, he examined each land to understand which ministering angel was appointed over it, seeking to use the angel’s power to develop the land and its people.
When he arrived in the Land of Israel, however, he could not find the ministering angel of that country. He weighed all possible Heavenly powers but could not identify the land’s minister. He therefore concluded that this Land must be governed directly by HaShem Himself. As it turns out, he was right. Therefore, he chose to settle in the Land of Kanaan, the future Land of Israel.
This teaching from the Zohar has profound implications for us today. We learn from it that while every other land and country has a ministering angel appointed to oversee its needs and deeds, the Land of Israel has none. It is HaShem Himself Who guards and protects the Land. And, we have the merit to witness this first hand!
HaShem has promised us that though we may be exiled from the Land, He will bring us back to it. In all the Books of the Prophets, we find prophecies predicting the return of the Jews to the Land, where we will plant, cultivate and rebuild it. HaShem watches over it, evident in all the miracles occurring within the Land: the wars, the sacrifices of its people and the terrible attacks by its neighbors—all meant to destroy the Jewish Nation. Yet, we are still here—AND WE WILL STILL BE HERE—until the Mashiach comes. Each tragedy brings a greater revelation of Godliness, each problem brings an even greater manifestation of HaShem’s miracles. However, these days, the miracles may seem hidden from us.
Our mission, if we wish to accept it, is to maintain our faith! Our faith in HaShem, in the Torah, and in our true leaders—the Prophets and teachers who teach us about HaShem and His miracles.
Then we will openly see the miracles that HaShem performs for us, and we will understand why Avram chose this Land to be our Land!
